Grinder, including means preventing the entrance of material between the rotor and housing thereof



L. K. KNIGHT 2,591,076 ING MEANS PREVENTING THE ENTRANCE 0F EEN T ROTORAND HOUSING THEREOF File eb. 25 1950 April 1, 1952 GRINDER, INCLUDMATERIAL BETW /N VEN TO Big, 4 LLOYD K.KN|GHT,

HTT Y.

Patented Apr. 1, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE Lloyd K. Knight,Columbus, Ohio, assignor to The J eifrey Manufacturing Company, acorporation of Ohio Application February 25, 1950, Serial No. 146,311

6 Claims.

This invention relates to grinders and more particularly to mechanismin, or for use in, a

grinder that prevents material being ground from entering andaccumulating between parts of the grinder, one of which rotates withrespect to the other, therefore the chief object of the invention is toprovide an improved mechanism of the type set forth.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved materialreducing grinder that includes a reducing chamber and a rotor thereinhaving end members adjacent opposite walls of the chamber that rotatewith respect thereto and between which chamber walls and rotor endmembers there are wiper and/or impeller ele ments that prevent materialfrom entering and accumulating between the chamber walls and the rotorend members.

In carrying out the foregoing object it is a more specific object of theinvention to mount the wiper and/or impeller elements whereby they maybe urged against either or both the rotor and members and the chamberwalls.

In carrying out the foregoing objects it is yet another and morespecific object of the invention to mount the wiper and/ or impellerelements loosely upon the rotor end elements whereby they may be urgedtoward the chamber walls.

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter, the novelfeatures and combinations being set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational and sectional view of a grinderincorporating the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the rotor of the grinder seen in Fig. 1, thecentral or shaft portion thereof being shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a view in section on a larger scale of a fragment of a rotorand element and a material reducing chamber wall of the grinder andincluding a preferred form of rotor and wiper and/or impellerconstruction; and

Fig. 4 is aview similar to Fig. 3, showing a modified form of rotor orwiper and/or impeller construction.

The grinder herein disclosed which incorporates the several features ofmy invention includes a unitary main frame ID in the form of a casting.The main frame In includes a central generally cylindrical portion whichforms a reducing chamber II. Reducing chamber II includes a pair ofspaced upright side walls including inner side wall I2 and outer sidewall I3. Inner side wall I2 is formed in part as an integral portion ofthe ducing chamber II.

main frame IE) and in part by a removable plate or cap I4 which closes acircular opening in the main frame Ill as well as performing additionalfunctions hereinafter described more completely. The outer side wall I3is formed entirely by a removable cap or plate which covers a largeouter opening in the main frame I0 and performs other functions ashereinafter described more completely.

The main frame I!) has an integrally formed feed chute I5 and anintegrally formed discharged chute IB which is located below thereducing chamber II and below an arcuate sectional bar screen I'Iadjacent the lower portion of the re- The upper arcuate portion of thechamber {I is provided with a reducing plate 22 which is bolted orotherwise attached to the adjacent portion of the main frame casting I0. It may be mentioned that the grinder includes water spraying pipes(not shown) which are provided adjacent the feed chute I5 and thedischarge chute IG, respectively, so as to feed water into the reducingchamber i I and to flush out the discharge chute I5.

Mounted for rotation within the reducing chamber I I and on a horizontalaxis that extends transversely therethrough is a material reducing orgrinder rotor 25. Rotor 25 as shown in the drawings includes as its mainbody element a single casting designated as a whole by the reference 26.Casting 26 includes a shaft portion 2'! which is preferably hollow andat its opposite ends is provided with bearing receiving portions 23 and29 upon which are mounted ball bearings 35 and 3|, respectively. Bearing35 is carried in an appropriate cup in the previously mentioned plate orcap I4, the outer race being held therein by a snap ring or the like.Bearing (H is received in and is carried by a cup 32 formed as anintegral part of the previously described side wall I3 of the chamberII. Side wall I3 when removed provides for ready removal of the entirerotor 25 by moving it axially out of the chamber I I.

Formed integral with the shaft portion 2? and thus as a portion of therotor casting 26 is a pair of spaced rotor end portions, discs, ormembers 33 and 34, which are located and rotate adjacent the side WallsI2 and I3, respectively, of the reducing chamber II and have diameterssubstantially equal to the diameter of the said reducing chamber. As amatter of fact the effective or working portion of the reducing chamberI I is located between the inner and opposite faces of the end discs,plates or members 23 and 34. While the rotor is describedherein asincluding a one piece cast main body 23 it is to be distinctlyunderstood that the rotor employed in carrying out this invention may beof any suitable construction and it may be provided with separateremovable end portions or discs 33 and 34.

Peripheral tongues and grooves are provided between the end walls 12 andl3 and the outer surfaces of the end plates 33 and 34, those on sidewall I3 and end plate 34 being seen at 35. The sealing means 35 assistin preventing grease delivered to the bearings 30 and 31 from beingundesirably lost therefrom by working its way into the reducing chamberI I.

Rotor body casting 26 also includes a plurality of integral spaced apartdiscs 36 which are provided with aligned openings through which pins 31extend. Pins 31 are removable and function as pivotal supporting meansfor a plurality of reversable swing hammers or cutters 38, and a spacerelement 39 is provided adjacent each swing hammer or cutter 3B. Pins 31are preferably removably held in place in the end plate 34 by removablesnap rings or the like.

An electric motor 43 for driving the rotor 25 is mounted on a platform4! of the main frame Ill. The shaft of motor 43 extends into a recess inthe shaft portion 21 of rotor casting 25 and is connected theretothrough a flexible coupling 43. The aforementioned removable cap i4 ispreferably provided with a peripheral cup 44 which receives the flexiblecoupling 43 and pro-- vides a housing therefor.

The bottom portion of the main frame casting [3 not only provides thedischarge chute l3 but it acts as a pedestal to support the completegrinder by virtue of the fact that it is removably bolted or otherwiseattached to the floor or other building structure 45 which, for example,may be of poured concretef The described grinder is particularly adaptedto grind garbage and the like and it has been found in connection withgrinders of this general type that there is a tendency for the materialbeing ground in the reducing chamber l I to find its way between or tobe worked into the space between the rotor end portions, discs, ormembers 33, 34 and the adjacent material reducing chamber walls [2, 13,respectively. If sufficient of the material being reduced does enter thespaces between said members then there is a tendency for the rotor tobecome jammed or to bind with the walls of the material reducingchamber.

This invention relates particularly to apparatus for preventing materialin the material reducing chamber from entering and accumulating in thespace between the rotor end members and the adjacent material reducingchamber walls.

Specific structures which provide these features are seen in Figs. 2 and3 and 4 of the drawings, and they, either alone or in combination withthe grinder, embody forms of the invention. Referring now to Figs. 2 and3 of the drawings, Fig. 2 is an end view of the rotor 25 showing the enddisc 34 thereof. Since the end discs 33 and 34 and the mechanismsassociated therewith are substantially identical in construction, theend disc 34 and its associated mechanism only need be described.

The end disc 34 is provided with three slots 45 equally spacedcircumferentially about its outer face. Each slot'46 receives andcarries a wiper and/or impeller member or element 41. The slots 46 areformed in the outside of the rotor end disc 34 and in the face portion48 thereof which lies radially outwardly of the sealing means 35 andfaces the adjacent wall 13 of the material reducing chamber ll. Eachslot 46 extends across the face portion 48 of disc 34 at such a trailingangle that it carries the wiper element 41 so that its radiallyinnermost end will be rotated in advance of its radially outermost end,

, that is, so that the radially inner end will lead the radiallyoutermost end when the rotor 25 is rotated in the direction of the arrowseen in Fig. 2. It will be seen that this placement or position of theslots 46 and wiper elements 41 will cause those portions of the wiperelements 41 which extend axially outwardly beyond the face 48 of the enddisc 34 or toward the adjacent wall 13 to function as centrifugalimpeller or slinger elements when the rotor is driven. Thus it may besaid that elements 41 are impeller elements and that they alone or incombination with the end disc or member 34 will function as impeller,slinger or pump elements to throw, sling or pump outwardly and into thereducing chamber ll any garbage or the .like which tends to enter, orenters, into their path of rotation when the rotor is rotated in thedirection of the arrow seen in Fig. 2.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings the slots 43 are ofuniform depth measured axially of the rotor 25 and they extend radiallyinwardly to a circular groove 49 into which the tongue of the radiallyoutermost seal 35 extends (see Fig.1). The wiper and/or impeller memberor element 4'! is a rectangular strip or bar preferably, but notnecessarily, of brass that is provided with two bolt receiving openings50 which are countersunk or recessed at 5| to receive completely theheads of machine screws 52. Machine screws 52 each extend through a bore53 in the rotor end disc 34 and their ends are threaded into and lockedtherein, for example, as by peening the exposed ends of the machinescrews. Within each bore 53 there is a compression spring 54 thatsurrounds the machine screw 50 and urges the wiper and/or impellerelement 41 axially outwardly, that is, toward the adjacent wall 13 ofthe material reducing chamber H.

Thus, when the rotor 25 is driven by the motor 40 the wiper and/orimpeller elements 41 rotate with the end discs of the rotor and theybear against the oppositely spaced walls l2, [3 of the material reducingchamber to wipe therefrom any material, water or the like which might berunning down the sides of the reducing chamber walls which Water wouldnormally flow into the space between the end members of the rotor andthe side walls of the reducing chamber.

It will be seen from Fig. 3 of the drawings that the heads of themachine screws 52 do not seat upon the wiper elements 41 but that thereis sufficient space between the heads of 'these machine screws and thewiper elements 41 to permit considerable wear particularly of that faceor surface of the wiper element 41 which are carried by the rotor endportions at the angle described, but it is to be understood that when.

the invention is to be employed in a grinder in which the rotor may bedriven in reverse directions, the wiper and/ or impeller elements 41 maybe carried by its rotor end portions 33, 34 so that their longitudinalaxes lie substantially upon radial lines struck from the axis ofrotation of the rotor 25. While it is preferred that the elements 4'! beboth wiper and impeller elements, they may only be impeller elements,that is, they need not actually bear and ride upon the walls l2, I3, butthey should rotate in close proximity therewith.

The wiper and/ or impeller element 55 seen in Fig. 4 of the drawingsfunctions in the same general manner as does the wiper element 47 seenin Fig. 3. However, the wiper element 55 is urged outwardly or towardthe wall of the reducing chamber wall I3 by a means different from thatemployed in connection with wiper element 41. In this embodiment theslot 45a is sloped axially outwardly from its root or inner end 56toward the wall I3 of the reducing chamber to its radially outer end 5'!and the bottom of the wiper element 55 is sloped so as to cooperate withthe bottom of the slot 45a so that these two surfaces cooperate to forma cam means which causes the wiper element 55 to be oammed outwardlyresiliently or toward the material reducing wall I3 by centrifugal forcewhen the motor is driven. Wiper element 55 is also carried by the enddisc 34a, of the rotor through a pair of machine screws 5212 similar tothe screws 52 and the heads of screws 52d are received within ashouldered slot 58 in the wiper element 55 while the bodies thereofextend through a narrow slot 59 and are threaded into the end disc 34aand locked therein, as described in connection with the machine screws52.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improvedmaterial reducing apparatus and more particularly a grinder adapted togrind materials such as garbage in which there is provided a veryefficient means for preventing the entrance of material being ground andwater into the space between the ends of the rotor and the materialreducing chamber walls.

Obviously those skilled in the art may make various changes in thedetails and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the claims hereto appended andapplicant wishes therefore not to be restricted to the preciseconstruction herein disclosed.

Having thus described and shown an embodiment of the invention, what itis desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A material reducing rotor adapted to rotate upon an axis in amaterial reducing chamber having a side wall, said rotor including anend portion adapted to rotate adjacent said side wall and carrying aseparate wiper member, spring means urging said wiper member axiallyoutwardly, the longitudinal axis of which wiper member extends generallyradially with respect to the rotor end and with its radially innermostend positioned to lead its radially outermost end when said rotor isrotated in one direction.

2. A material reducing rotor adapted to rotate upon an axis in amaterial reducing chamber having a side wall, said rotor including anend portion adapted to rotate adjacent said side wall and carrying aseparate impeller member movable outwardly by centrifugal force, thelongitudinal axis of which impeller member extends generally radiallywith respect to the rotor end and with its radially innermost endpositioned to lead its radially outermost end when said rotor is rotatedin one direction.

3. A grinder including a material reducing chamber having a side wall, amaterial reducing rotor in said chamber adapted to rotate on an axis andhaving an end wall adjacent said chamber side wall, a wiper mounted onsaid rotor end wall for movement toward and from said chamber side walland having a wiping contact therewith, and spring means urging saidwiper toward said chamber side wall, said wiper having a leading edgewhich extends generally radially with respect to the rotor and which hasits radially innermost position leading its radially outermost positionwhen said rotor is rotated in its normal direction of rotation.

4. A grinder including a material reducing chamber having a side wall, amaterial reducing rotor in said chamber adapted to rotate on an axis andhaving an end wall adjacent said chamber side wall, a wiper mounted onsaid rotor end wall for movement toward and from said chamber side wall,and spring means urging said wiper toward said chamber side wall, saidwiper having a leading edge which extends generally radially withrespect to the rotor and which has its radially innermost positionleading its radially outermost position when said rotor is rotated inits normal direction of rotation.

5. A grinder including a material reducing chamber having a side wall, amaterial reducing rotor in said chamber adapted to rotate on an axis andhaving an end wall adjacent said chamber side wall, and a wiper mountedon said rotor end wall for movement toward and from said chamber sidewall and having a wiping contact therewith, said wiper having a leadingedge which extends generally radially with respect to the rotor andwhich has its radially innermost position leading its radially outermostposition when said rotor is rotated in its normal direction of rotation.

6. A grinder including a material reducing chamber having a side wall, amaterial reducing rotor in said chamber adapted to rotate on an axis andhaving an end wall adjacent said chamber side wall, and a wiper mountedon said rotor end wall for movement toward and from said chamber sidewall, said wiper having a leading edge which extends generally radiallywith respect to the rotor and which has its radially innermost positionleading its radially outermost position when said rotor is rotated inits normal direction of rotation.

LLOYD K. KNIGHT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,648,747 Stoner Nov. 8, 19272,228,207 Forssell Jan. 7, 1941 2,265,758 Klosson Dec. 9, 1941 2,426,346Feight Aug. 26, 1947 2,463,843 Wright Mar. 8, 1949

